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Photo: P. V. Sivakumar

Latest technology The robo pong machine

Table tennis at the Gujarati Seva Mandal (GSM), behind the Arya Samaj temple off Rashtrapathi Road in Secunderabad used to be restricted to just one room. Triumph in the Chennai National Under-12 category by one of its trainees, Nikhat Banu, changed all that. The godown was converted to a hall where eight tables could be placed with enough space around them.

Thanks to the efforts of Minal Vakharia, a fine facility has come up. Each table, covered when not in use, is separated by dismantle-type barricades. A large screen in the corner is handy for projection of sports videos and movies. But pride of place is for the Robo Pong, an electronic ball-dispensing machine, made in Tennessee, U.S. The speed, spin and direction of ball-release can be regulated depending on the recipient and the device is perhaps one of its kind in the Twin Cities.

Vakharia personally supervised construction of a 400-seat gallery, above which adorn enlarged portraits of Hyderabad’s sporting greats such as Sania Mirza and Nikhat Banu. After it became a standard venue, it was named the GSM Kumud Pramod Dharia indoor stadium and the organisation hosted two state ranking tournaments. While the staging of the event itself was efficient, what won the hearts of most of the young participants was the board and lodging provided free to all outstation players.

The focus was always on the youngsters to coach whom many trainers weren’t too willing. Maduri Venugopal and T. Nagaraj, known to have a way with children, fitted the bill perfectly. The former started off the trainees with tapping, the focus being on basic and fundamental strokes. Stress on tactical aspects and multiple-ball practice came later. The sole exception to this route was Nikhat Banu, who went straight to the table but went on to prove herself at the state and national level, apart from one international foray as well.

Before long, promising talent emerged from the 25-odd regular trainees. S. Akshi began to dominate the state cadet competitions, while B. Sridhar, B. Bhavana and Vishan Gupta emerged front-runners in inter district competitions. Minal’s son Jishnu, after winning the mini-cadet crown for boys under 10 years made his way to the top eight of the state cadet category as well. P. Chahana is also a player to watch out for, said Venugopal.

Students from the neighbouring Gujarati High School are given free coaching. For the future, a wooden flooring is also planned, for the GSM is impressed by the turnout of talented players emerging from its facility.

JOSEPH ANTONY

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